Today's Show:
Back to Basics
HDTV Explained, a walk through the HDTV Podcast Archive
This is the time of year when we add the most new listeners to the HDTV and Home Theater Podcast. First of all, welcome to the show, we're glad you found us. Some of you new listeners are new to the world of HDTV, having just installed your first one. Maybe you wanted to see this Football season in high def, or the world series, or the 2007 Fall dramas. Whatever it is, congratulations on your new TV. Or maybe you're anticipating jumping into the world of high definition with you first HDTV this Christmas are are doing the research early, trying to figure out what it all means and what you need to do to make it happen. Keep listening, we're here to help.
We recently realized that the more we do the show, the less time we spend on the basic fundamentals of HDTV - the ins and outs of all the numbers, acronyms and other jargon. And based on some of the research we've been reading, that information is just as important now as it was last year or two years ago. So we've decided to put together a show all about the basics of HDTV, a primer, so to speak. We get to take advantage of all our previous episodes to fill in the details and touch on everything really quickly today. So if you're a seasoned HDTV enthusiast, or a long time listener, this will be a review for you. But keep listening, this episode will be a great one to point your friends to if they need help getting into HDTV and you don't have the time to explain all the ins and outs.
So this is episode 211, the information show. Here in the US you can typically dial 411 on your telephone to get an information operator, or directory assistance. At the HDTV and Home Theater Podcast, you dial up episode 211 for a quick introduction to any information you need about HDTV. What then, in a nutshell, is HDTV?
High Definition Television (HDTV) is a better TV experience than we've ever had before, comprised of both amazing picture and dynamic surround sound.
Better picture means better resolution. Resolution describes how detail can appear on the screen. It is usually described by the number of lines that can be drawn from the top to the bottom of the screen, so the bigger number the better. You will tend to see HDTV resolutions defined as 720p, 1080i and 1080p. The number, 720 or 1080, counts then number of lines, so the higher the number the more detail or clarity you see on screen. Check out
Episode 45 for more information on resolution.
And the 'i' or 'p' in 720p or 1080i describes how many of the lines are draw on the screen at once. The 'p' means progressive, and says that all the lines, or a full screen of information, is drawn at once. The 'i' means interlaced, and says that only half the lines (every other one) are on a screen at any given time. So it's easy to see that switching between 60 full frames yields more fluid motion than does 30 half frames. That's why several stations chose 720p over 1080i for HDTV broadcasts, choosing the more fluid motion - especially important in fast moving action, like sports - over the extra detail. Check out
Episode 125 for more info on progressive versus interlaced scanning.
Better sound means Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. This is a true surround sound format that draws you into that better picture, immersing you in the experience. To get surround sound you need a receiver capable of decoding multi-channel audio, which almost all have been capable of for the last 8 to ten years and at least 5 speakers. The typical 5.1 system puts three speakers in the front of the room, left center and right, and two speakers on the sides or in the rear of the room. The "point 1" in 5.1 is the subwoofer. That's the speaker that really makes the system boom. There's a bunch of episodes you can check out for more information on this subject.
Episode 87 has a history of Dolby and
Episode 106 has details on the various surround sound formats out there. Go to
Episode 115 for tips on what to look for in a Receiver,
Episode 118 for the same info on speakers, and all the way back to
Episode 16 for a discussion on subwoofers. We're audio guys, so just about every episode will have something to do with sound.
So you know you've go to have the better picture and better sound, what do you do. First of all you have to buy the gear. You'll need a TV capable of displaying 720p or 1080i. You can use a front projector and a screen for those really massive 110" TV screens, but to keep it simple we'll just deal with TVs for now. The two sexy flat panel options are LCD and Plasma. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages, but both are very good. To save some money, if you have a few extra inches from the wall, you can get a rear projection set, they come in DLP ("it's the mirrors"), LCoS (Sony's SXRD or JVC's HD-ILA) and LCD flavors. Listen to
Episode 193 for our Pros and Cons of each format. Then you need your receiver and some speakers. You already know what shows to listen to for that, so check out
Episode 127 for our 2006 Receivers Buyers Guide. Look forward to the 2007 version soon, certainly before Christmas this year.
Now the gear is in place, but it doesn't look good. How can we fix that. First and foremost you need to make sure you're receiver and HDTV signal from your provider. There are three main ways to get HDTV into your house: via satellite from DirecTV or Dish Network, from a local provider such as a cable company (Comcast, Cox, Time Warner, etc.) or a telco like AT&T or Verizon, or for free over the air. All three of those methods require that you do something. With the first two you have to upgrade your service, and probably your set top boxes. With the third one you have to have an antenna and and HDTV channel tuner (also called ATSC) either in a dedicated box or built in to your television. Now you've got the right content coming in.
But what if it still doesn't look good? There's a chance that your installer didn't plug everything together correctly. They try their best, but may not always get it right. First check the connection from your new set top box to the TV. You should either have a digital cable, HDMI or DVI, or three analog cables. The analog cables are called component video and are usually red green and blue, but might be labeled Y, Pb and Pr. If you're using composite video, the old standard yellow cable, or s-video, the multi-prong connector, you're not watching HDTV. Then look at the connection from your set top box to the receiver. You should either be using an HDMI cable, an optical audio cable, sometimes called Toslink, or a digital coaxial cable. If you're using the old standard red and white audio cables, you're not listening in surround sound. Go all the way back to
Episode 3 for a discussion on the different cable options available.
And of course if you still don't think it looks as good as it could, you probably want to calibrate your home theater. Calibration is the process of dialing in all the settings on your TV and receiver to optimize the viewing and listening experience for your home. There are a ton of options for this, from buying a calibration DVD for the do it yourselfers, buying a calibration system like SpyderTV for the almost do it yourselfers, to hiring a professional calibrator for those of the just do it for me persuasion. Listen to
Episode 92 for more information on all the calibration options.
For further information both
Episode 125 and
Episode 181 cover some of the terms and techno-jargon we weren't able to get to today.
